(CNN) - A substantial amount of the Corn Belt is in extreme drought. As a result, this year's crop yields are threatened and the price of corn is skyrocketing. This week, more than 150 U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson urging action to reduce the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to help ease corn supply concerns. The seven-year-old mandate, which was meant to reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil, requires refineries to produce about 13 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol this year.

Arkansas Republican Congressman Steve Womack says it makes no sense:

[1:14] " The fact that we are trying to answer what used to be known as an energy crisis by creating a food crisis is just the wrong direction." FULL POST

Durango, Colorado (CNN) - In the center of this small, Western town, there are bartenders who rock handlebar moustaches and pour sloe gin fizzes. Some waitresses wear feathers in their hair and tight-fitting western dresses while serving clams and steak. There’s an old rail car that rumbles through downtown, with a conductor dressed in a blue and white rail cap.

Yet, this scenic town of 16,000 is pursuing one of the most ambitious transportation plans in the country. It includes miles of bike-ways and walking trails, and it aims for a public transit stop within fifteen minutes of any point in town.

[3:51] “We know that not every single initiative in this plan is implementable, particularly in the near-term,” says Durango Mayor Doug Lyon. “We don’t have to do the whole thing to be successful.” FULL POST